What makes a bass an eligible workhorse?

[sikamikanico]

Yes, foremost reliable, playable. And with that goes serviceable and adjustable (takes and holds setup well, easy to change strings, standard size parts, etc…). We’d have to have some history, but that’s mostly to indicate that it is reliable and playable. And then of course to get comfortable with it, where it becomes an extension of my hands/body…

Obviously has to sound good, but that’s easily addressable with the right strings and maybe a pickup/electronics swap. I find that I only need that middle/neck pickup (somewhere in the range of P and MM spots), hum-cancelling, passive. If I really wanted to cover all the grounds, I’d probably have sth with two soapbars in approximately jazz bass positions. You can get almost any pickup in a soapbar format…

Visuals… secondary, but my goal would be for a bass to not look out of place… there are some classic designs that seem to fit almost any occasion, P bass being a good example.

Indeed, I do feel like a good P bass can check all of these boxes, but many others would to. For me it’s a Lakland Skyline Glaub. Far from perfect, but it does the job great.

On the question of value/price: not too valuable would be good so you don’t worry, but a good workhorse becomes invaluable, so that’s kind of a moot point perhaps. Take Anthony Jackson and his contrabasses - the hybrid costs $35k (closer to $50k now!) but he played his everywhere. Or perhaps even better, Lee Sklar and his Frankenstein - as far as I can tell it was cheap to assemble, but now irreplaceable.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

gotta be able to withstand the rigors of the road. My gear gets tossed around quite a bit, so a cheap-o bass just won't cut it.

 

[Norwegian_Wood]

A lot of posts have hit on this already, but “workhorse” basses really boil down to reliability, playability, comfort and the ability to be used on any gig.

I think for reliability it needs to be a passive instrument if you’re doing longer style gigs or hired gun gigs especially. You need to eliminate anything that could possibly crap out during the gig and a 9v/18v preamp is just another thing to worry about. I’m not saying you shouldn’t gig with an active bass, but I wouldn’t call it a workhorse.

For playability it needs keep tuning and intonation well. That’s pretty standard stuff.

For comfort you don’t need some 11lb bass on a 4 hours covers gig. You might be able to get away with it once or so a month but 3-5 gigs a week with that heavy ass bass and it’s going to affect you in one way or another. I’m not advocating that everyone go buy a 7lb Mike Lull but there are plenty of MIM Fenders or whatever you like that are in the 8-9 range.

The most important aspect is being able to be used on any gig. A P, J, Yamaha BBP, etc are unassuming shapes that can fit in country, rock, metal, covers gigs, etc etc etc. No one would bat an eye if you played them on any gig. A hot pink Ibanez destroyer bass, while extremely badass, looks out of place on most gigs.

Not every bass has to be a workhorse! For people gigging multiple times a week it makes it much easier to have a simple, lightweight, easy playing bass to grab and go. But originals bands, people playing at home, just jamming with buddies you don’t need that! Play what you like!

 

[fhm555]

The last time I was playing every week I used an off the shelf Fender Highway One (1??) Jazz most of the time. I also used a modded MIM standard Jazz for the gut buckets and outdoors when the weather was iffy. Never had a problem with either bass.

 

[fhm555]

I think for reliability it needs to be a passive instrument

Not so sure about that. The ten busiest years of my playing life the only bass I owned was an active Jazz Plus. Never had a glitch, never broke down, it just worked. It did require keeping up with battery change dates and always keeping a spare battery and the tiny phillips head screwdriver required to access the battery, in the case with the bass, just in case.
A battery change took maybe a couple minutes and I always used the spare for the regular change date, which insured I always had a fresh battery on standby.

 

[kmon]

80s US Peaveys have always been my prototype workhorse basses.

Sounds and plays great. Built like a tank. Pre-dinged and dented so no stress. Got the cool vibes of a vintage US made bass that’s rocked a lot of stages. If it gets stolen I won’t be heartbroken. It’s got character and just works every time.

 

[rojo412]

Going by the vernacular here, essentially you have a "Work Horse" or a "Show Pony."

My workhorse basses are ones that don't mind being played hard, they sound good for all of the situations, and they are quite practical for my use. One of my go-to basses has silver paint accented fret markers so it's easier to see in the dark. They aren't pretty or fancy, but they are functional. And that bass is ready to be put on a stand or leaned on an amp or laid on the ground, with no fear of it becoming devalued or injured in any way.

I've had a handful of show pony basses in my day (and considered more at some points), but rarely do I hold onto them. Yes, they are gorgeous and sound and play great and are expensive and fancy... but the fear I have of them being exposed to the world kept me from truly enjoying them as basses in real-world situations.

 

[Gervais Cote]

It has to sound great, don’t get lost in the mix, easy to play and robust/reliable.

 

[lug]

Tone is king, playability 2nd, everything else a distant 3rd.

 

[urkel3000]

Tuning stability, truss rod stability, bright side markers

 

[Drifter8230]

80s US Peaveys have always been my prototype workhorse basses.

Sounds and plays great. Built like a tank. Pre-dinged and dented so no stress. Got the cool vibes of a vintage US made bass that’s rocked a lot of stages. If it gets stolen I won’t be heartbroken. It’s got character and just works every time.

I find myself in line with your definition! Especially where you mention that if it gets stolen it wouldn't result in heartbreak. A workhorse, regardless of whether is a guitar, an automobile, or a spouse, needs to look, and perform, at a professional level but also not so valuable that losing it (through theft, accident, or over-cooking the roast AGAIN) will cause excess stress.

Its a very good perspective

 

[CallMeAl]

I think reliability is a big part of it too. Stable setup and tuning, solid soldering, hardware you can trust…

 

[PennyroyalWe]

My “workhorse” has been a vintage modified Squier telebass, and it’s served me well. Hundreds of gigs and even more rehearsals over the last decade, it has never once failed me.

 

[FretRiff]

If I lived in the US (where the BB434 sells for almost half the price compared to Europe) I would definitely choose the BB. I'm actually shocked by how cheap BBs are in the US. At their current US prices they must surely be the best value basses EVER. I mean, you can get a bass that's good enough for a life time professional career for less than $600. That's utterly insane!

I bought a new BB434 last month for $458 (before tax). I sent it to a repair tech to check out and set up, and when I retrieved it he asked how much it cost - then shook his head and said it was as well built and good-sounding as basses costing twice as much.

 

[HardNHeavy]

i didnt know any of this stuff or cared when i bought my first p bass in 85' that i played the first 10yrs until my J......Never needed anything else.

 

[Jefenator]

I see I am not the first to bring up reliability.
Something about the "workhorse". I often find it isn't the thing I want the most when I'm browsing around for gear; it's the one that will cause the fewest hiccups on the most jobs.

 

[Pdaddy1978]

It has to be 18 hands high and weigh 1800 pounds.

Should be able to pull a double shovel.
By itself!

 

[ga_edwards]

Not so sure about that. The ten busiest years of my playing life the only bass I owned was an active Jazz Plus. Never had a glitch, never broke down, it just worked. It did require keeping up with battery change dates and always keeping a spare battery and the tiny phillips head screwdriver required to access the battery, in the case with the bass, just in case.
A battery change took maybe a couple minutes and I always used the spare for the regular change date, which insured I always had a fresh battery on standby.

I'm in more in agreement with the original sentiment - indeed, I also mentioned it in my previous post.

I’ve no issue with active basses as a workhorse — my main gigging bass for years was an active Warwick Thumb. My concern is reliability, especially with 9V battery clips. I’ve had terminals snap in stompboxes and the aforementioned bass whilst swapping the battery, which is the last thing you want when you’ve only brought one instrument to a gig.

 

[Medicine Man]

Stays in tune
Good playability
Not too fancy to get a ding
No barrel jack.

 

[mobeme23]

the work horse chooses you....